In recent years, the search for oil and gas has concentrated on formations below the surface of the oceans, seas and lakes of the world. During such exploration and the subsequent production of the oil and gas from the formation lying below the floor of the body of water, it is advantageous to drill a plurality of well holes close together and in a known orientation. As a result, large templates are used for this guidance purpose, usually consisting of a substantially planar array of tubes coupled together in a lattice and having a certain number of slots formed therein for receiving drill pipe or pipe for conducting the oil and the gas upwardly from the floor of the body of water after the production well is established.
The use of such templates, however, includes many difficulties. For example, the floor of a body of water, such as the seabed, is usually inclined and irregular, therefore requiring some type of levelling device for the template. In addition, such a template is usually maintained on the seabed for a long period of time and therefore is very difficult to maintain or repair. Many systems for installing templates require the costly and dangerous use of a diver, require extensive template mounted equipment and specially trained operators and require modified drilling technology or operations.
Examples of prior systems directed to levelling such templates are disclosed U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,310,108 to Yancey; 3,504,740 to Manning; 4,127,991 to Regan; and 4,212,562 to Stone et al. Additional prior devices that disclose levelling of platforms of various types are included in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,839,164 to Roussel; 2,873,580 to Suderow; 2,944,403 to Smith; and 3,750,032 to Allen.